The Furies are the female deities of vengeance in Greek mythology. Electra prays to the “dread Furies” to “punish” Clytemnestra for the murder of Agamemnon, and they represent revenge throughout the play. According to myth, Orestes was driven mad by the Furies after he murdered Clytemnestra, but Sophocles does not include that part of the story in Electra.
The Furies Quotes in Electra
The Electra quotes below are all either spoken by The Furies or refer to The Furies. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Lines 1-85
Quotes
Our crafty tale will bring them the glad tidings
That my body has been cremated and now consists
Of nothing but charred remains. What harm does it do me
To say I’m dead? None, if the outcome proves
My real salvation and wins me a glorious prize.
In my opinion, no word can be a bad omen
If it leads to gain. A false report of death
Is a trick I’ve often seen used by clever philosophers.
Related Characters:
Orestes (speaker), Clytemnestra, Agamemnon, Old Slave, Pylades, The Furies
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Lines 1398-1510
Quotes
O seed of Atreus, how much you have suffered!
But now this attack has forced you out
Into freedom. You’ve come to the ending.
Related Characters:
The Chorus (speaker), Electra, Orestes, Aegisthus, Agamemnon, Atreus, The Furies
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Electra LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Furies Character Timeline in Electra
The timeline below shows where the character The Furies appears in Electra. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Lines 86-120
...Electra calls out to the curse that her father supposedly bore and to the “dread Furies of vengeance.” She prays to them to punish her father’s murderers and bring her brother,...
(full context)
Lines 473-515
...have been “Justice” that sent the nightmare about Agamemnon to Clytemnestra. They mention a “fearsome Fury” waiting to attack Agamemnon’s murderers, whose union they say is “cursed” because of the sinful...
(full context)